Skeletons & Closets
by GarnetEwe
Summary: Amy, Knuckles and Tails are among the characters who are holding deep dark secrets. As the story unfolds their lives begin to take a turn for the worse as the skeletons are let out of the closet.
1. Chapter 1

~AMY~

The young hedgehog slumped against the wall, the band wound tightly round her slender arm. Long streaks of deep blue mascara streamed down her cheeks, staining her fur.

_You disgust me._

He'd said.

_You're pathetic. Degrading yourself like this._

Shadow refused to help her when she needed him most. He would not get her the money she needed to pay off her debt. Tugging at her slim figure hugging dress and adjusting her handbag, Amy observed her surroundings. The gutter was the one place nobody would have expected her to end up, let alone herself. Sitting beside a garbage can emitting a horrendous stench she felt her eyes tearing up once more, blurring her vision. Every once in a while the depression kicked in and it had been occurring more often over the past week. When this happened Amy had no choice but to resort to drugs, working the streets for any extra cash she could grasp before feeding her habit. Heroin, cocaine, amphetamine, anything went so long as it numbed the pain. The stronger the better. As the euphoria began to kick in, Amy recalled the conversation she'd had with Sonic, the conversation which had broken her.

It was a typical rainy day and ironically the two of them had decided to take a walk in the park because the weather forecast had predicted good weather. As they strolled along Amy had an intense feeling in the pit of her stomach, like a billion fluttering butterflies dancing inside. Nothing could make this day any better, it was perfect. Or so she'd thought.

"Amy," Sonic said stopping a step ahead. "We've been spending a lot of time together recently, haven't we?"

Amy looked at her feet. Her cheeks had gotten all flustered and she was ashamed to be shy around him, having known him half her life. "I just care about you, I like being with you Sonic." Came her reply.

Sonic turned to face her with a kindly expression. "I care about you too, Amy, but," The young hedgehog glanced up at the change in tone. "But not in that way."

Before he could say anymore, Amy's heart sank like a rock in the stormy ocean. Her eyes stung with the approaching tears and despite her frail attempts, she could not shield them from Sonic's sight. The two stood before each other as it began to rain down upon them. Sonic never made any attempt to comfort the weeping girl before him, he didn't understand her emotions, her heartbreak.

"I'm sorry," He said. "But you're young, there's plenty of other fish in the sea."

She didn't care, she couldn't bear to listen to his cruel words no matter how gentle they seemed. She picked herself up and ran, ran as far away from the blue hedgehog, he one love, as she could until he was nothing more than a fleeting blur.

She'd often seen him walking down the street but never found the courage to approach him and now she never could. Just the thought of his reaction at seeing her, dressed up and smothered in make-up, made her physically sick. With that final thought lingering in her mind, she allowed her soul to weep one last time before she drifted into a drug induced sleep. In the morning things would be better, wouldn't they?


	2. Chapter 2

~KNUCKLES~

He was unsure of what he had seen the night before. Surely that quick glimpse of a slim figure draped in shadow, slowly disappearing into an unidentified car couldn't have been Amy? She was older now of course, fourteen at least, but still he could not shake the surprise at seeing such a transformation. A cute and somewhat irritating young girl had, in two years, evolved into a beautiful enigma. Knuckle's perspective of her had definitely changed. No longer was she an innocent flower but a tempting snake in the garden of Eden. Rouge was sexually attractive to him but Amy was far more alluring with her new found hobby. Something about her dirty little secret had gotten to him, made him itch and no matter how hard he tried to scratch it the little knack just got worse.

"What are you staring at?" Rouge asked, breaking his concentration.

Knuckles glanced down the ruin steps to find the bat staring up at him, a wry smile plastered on her face and hands placed firmly on her notable hips. "I thought I'd lost you for a second back there." She joked, her words flowing smoothly.

Knuckles didn't reply, he just remained seated on his perch, with his arms folded disapprovingly and shut his eyes again. As if in retaliation, Rouge took a step forward to propel her into the air before gliding towards the moody echidna.

"Come on, I was joking." She winked, stopping before him.

"What do you want?" Knuckles asked opening his eyes. A flush of heat hit his cheeks and his eyes widened as he found himself facing the young woman's cleavage. Her bustier was pulled so tight so as to expose a lot of flesh and Knuckle's was stunned into silence.

"You're not going all shy on me are you?" She laughed. "Surely you've seen me this close up before, remember the ARK?"

"Don't get any ideas batgirl, that was an act of mercy."

"Oh really," She began, lowering herself until the two were face to face. "Didn't you say you were saving the Master Emerald?"

"Is there something you want or are you just here to gloat?" He interrupted harshly, becoming increasingly irritated by her presence.

"I came to you on behalf of your personal interest actually. Of course, if you'd rather I leave." She taunted, turning to go.

"Hold it! What do you mean on my behalf?"

"Rumour has it your little companion, that pink hedgehog, has hit rock bottom and is now soliciting on the streets of station square. She's a junkie now, you know."

So it's true!

Knuckles thought to himself no longer doubting his memory. Rouge gave him one final wink before heading off 'on business' as she called it. Once a thief always a thief, she would never change. He watched her fly away with all the grace of a duck and felt the tips of his mouth edge into a thin smirk. Despite what he told himself he knew that deep down there was a tension between them and over the past two years that bond had been growing into unbearable lust. Everything about her filled him with rage. Her voice, her constant flaunting, her in your face attitude. Yet it was these very annoyances that attracted him to her. She was a mystery to him and he wanted more than anything to solve it.

Not tonight though. Tonight he would sleep. Not in the morning either. In the morning he would take a walk into the city, to visit an old friend.


	3. Chapter 3

~TAILS~

Sonic lay back in his chair, foot waggling back and forth as he waited impatiently. He had already finished his milkshake and was now waiting for his friend to take the first sip of his. The young fox sat, arms clasped on his knees, staring down at the floor. It was an unusually hot day and Tails had managed to make Sonic sit still for five minutes. Resting under the shade of a parasol, the small cafe seemed the ideal place to reveal his secret to Sonic, only now he had cold feet about the whole ordeal and found his brow getting damp with a nervous sweat.

Ever since that day in the forest, when Tails first encountered his hero, the fox knew that this mysterious hedgehog was destined to run. From that day Tails promised to always be one step behind, to ensure that he could help his friend whenever called. Little did he know how things would drastically change the year they infiltrated the ARK.

_I'm counting on you._

Those were Sonic's last words before being blasted into space. Those were the words that were forever etched into Tails' mind. Having always thought of himself as nothing more than a smart kid with the ability to tighten a bolt on the Tornado, Sonic's words gave him the confidence needed to defeat Eggman. Sonic was the only person who ever believed in him and at that moment Tails knew that he would love Sonic until his dying day. Not brotherly love or even the love between close friends but romantic, unrequited love that killed him with every fleeting moment. Tails' problem was revealing his emotions to Sonic. He was afraid of how his friend would react, if he would react at all. The one thing Tails feared the most was having Sonic turn his back on him, like he had done with Amy two years ago. It had caused a rift in their friendship, a rift was wasn't going to heal anytime soon. Taking a deep breath Tails clasped his hands firmly together before looking up at Sonic.

"Sonic, there's something I need to tell you." He whimpered.

Sonic's foot stopped waggling and he opened his deep green eyes to stare back at the fox.

"I brought you here today to tell you," He paused, giving him a moment to compose himself. "To tell you that I..."

"I know Tails." Sonic interrupted. "I know how you feel about me."

Tails' eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly agape at those words. Did Sonic really understand how deep rooted his feelings were?

"But how, for how long?" Tails questioned, his breathing now heavy.

"For quite some time actually." Sonic replied, smiling sympathetically. "You know I love you Tails, just not in that way. You're like my little bro, my best bud. I don't want that to change."

Tails stood up, almost knocking his glass to the floor. "But I love you Sonic, I really love you!"

Sonic remained seated, glancing up at the little, teary eyed creature before him. "Tails, you're ten years old, you don't know what love is. You have the rest of your life to discover these kinds of things so why rush them? Enjoy your youth, the innocence of childhood, while you still can," He slowly climbed to his feet, now towering above his friend. "I have to go, catch you later." With a flick of the wrist and a quick wink the blue hedgehog was nothing more than a blur of light disappearing into the horizon.

The tears would not stop. They seemed endless, flowing down his cheeks, blinding him. His best friend, his one true love, had broken his frail heart.

"This isn't fair." He sobbed, head toward the floor as his salty tears exploded on the earth. "If you won't love me Sonic," He continued, raising his head. "Then I guess I'll have to make you love me."

With that threat lingering in the air, Tails turned and waltzed in the opposite direction, determined to prove himself to Sonic no matter how high the cost.


	4. Chapter 4

~KNUCKLES 2~

Knuckles always felt uncomfortable leaving the Master Emerald behind, especially with that bat lurking around. Today was no exception but the heat emanating from the sun's rays warmed his skin and suddenly things didn't seem so bad. As he wandered down the street Knuckles caught sight of Vector strolling in the opposite direction, towards Vanilla's house. It was no secret that the two of them had been dating for quite some time now and as Vector clicked his fingers to the music blasting out of his headphones, Knuckles began to suspect that Vanilla had already asked him to move in with her.

Turning to face the road ahead a low groan stopped the echidna in his tracks. His head whizzed round to face the alley to his right.

"Who's there!?" He growled, getting into his fighting stance, fists at the ready. If there was somebody hiding in the shadows he would be ready to stop them.

The groan was followed by a clanking of metal and then two trash cans came tumbling down, spewing their contents into the street. Knuckles eyed the mounds of rotting garbage then averted his attention to the figure standing before him. Eyes widening, stance relaxing, Knuckles stared into the face of Amy Rose. He noted that she somewhat resembled Rouge with her lush yet badly apllied eyeshadow, drooping eyes and voluptuous figure.

"Knuckles?" Came a pitiful mumble.

She could barely stand and her toes were pointing towards each other. Her left hand was resting against the stained wall for support and her breathing was deep and heavy. Despite this Knuckles became aware of a deep rooted desire within himself. This creature hunching before him was strangely sexually attractive to him. His entire body shook and he broke into a cold sweat as that desire grew. If the Master Emerald were to shatter into a million tiny pieces it would not matter to him, for at that moment the only thing he wanted, the only thing he craved was this pathetic young woman standing before him. He feared that if he did not act on his needs he would be driven insane by his lust.

He had come to visit her as a friend but would leave as an enemy.

Glancing back and forth to ensure there were no witnesses, Knuckles faced Amy. He was four years her senior and far stronger than she could ever be. In addition to this she was sky high, chances were she would not be able to identify him when she came round.

_Very well._ He thought to himself. _If I can't have you Rouge then I shall have Amy instead._

With that he lunged forward, tackling the hedgehog and pinning her to the ground. She cried out in pain as her head collided with the stone but she was muffled by Knuckles' hand clasping her mouth. A final attempt to rescue herself was in vain as she clawed at his face with her fingers. Knuckles stifled a laugh as he watched her struggle. She had barely any strength remaining and despite her best efforts she never once grazed his skin with her nails. Realising she had no more energy to give, Amy gave in and allowed her hands to collapse, limp by her sides. Knuckles was pleased with her decision to stop fathoming around and felt a smile spread across his face.

Once the deed was done, Knuckles clambered to his feet and adjusted his gloves. After straightening his hair he thrust his chest out and stretched his arms back to release a loud yawn. Fatigue had fallen upon him and he was returning home to take a much needed rest. Peering from the corner of his eyes he smirked at the vulnerable girl lying unconscious on the ground. Her breathing was still heavy but it was now at a steady pace and her eyes were closed, no longer wet with tears. Knuckles felt satisfied, his hunger head been fed and now he was full. She was whoring herself out anyway, she was asking for it. Leaving her crumpled body behind he casually glided off, content with himself.

But Amy was not asleep and she slowly forced her eyes open as she heard someone approaching.


	5. Chapter 5

~AMY 2~

Having managed to pull her dress up over her head, Amy sat on her knees and raised her hands, gripping her skull. Thankfully there was no wound, just a constant throbbing beneath her fingers. The approaching footsteps came to a steady halt before her but she did not look up from the ground.

"Amy?" Came a familiar voice, still as kindly as ever.

She refused to look at him, too ashamed of what she had become. Surely he would think of her as a lowly human being. How could he face what she had become when she could not even face herself? Whenever she stared into a mirror all she saw was a filthy, worthless, thing. A thing, that's all she could see. She was damaged goods, stepping into stranger's cars. Giving them a cheap thrill. Every night when she lay down to sleep in her lonely, glum apartment, staring into blank space, she ended up crying herself to sleep. It was her way of coping.

"Amy, is everything okay?" Came that sweet voice once again.

Instead of replying she leaned against the wall and devoted all of her attention to her scuffed knees and dirtied heels. A hand rested upon her shoulder and she gave in, falling against his shoulder. It was better this way. Simply being able to inhale his Earthly scent, feel his soft fur, was enough to transport her to another world. A world where there was no pain or suffering, where all that mattered was existing together. As long as she lay beside him, everything would be alright for a little while.

"Amy, tell me what happened?" Sonic pushed for an answer, clearly concerned.

For the first time in what seemed like eternity, Amy could feel no tears forming, her heart wasn't heavy and she almost felt as if she could tell him everything.

"Would you believe me if I told you?" She asked, barely audible, certain that Sonic would not believe that Knuckles could do such a thing and terrified that he would turn away from her again.

Though she had not looked at him, even once since he arrived, she could feel his powerful glare weighing her down. It was such a strong sensation that she had no choice but to satisfy his need for truth.

"I don't know how this all happened Sonic," She began. "I fell into such despair so quickly. I tried to forget, I really did but it the only thing that helped was drugs. He took advantage of my situation Sonic."

"Who did?" His voice had changed in tone, now more serious.

"Knuckles didn't ask permission, he just did it. I have sex willingly, with many men, to feed my habit, but Knuckles was different. I didn't want it to happen this way. Not forced." She admitted to him, nuzzling his arm.

"Do you mean Knuckles.."

"Raped me." Amy completed the sentence.

Suddenly Sonic twitched, alerting Amy to something she had never seen in Sonic before now. He was no longer looking at her, instead he was facing ahead, lost in thought. His brow furrowed and his fists clenched into a tight ball. She suddenly became very nervous and loosened her grip on his arm, wondering what he was thinking.

"I have to go now." He told her, standing up and turning away.

Amy watched as he left her once again, cold, alone and helpless. She tried to follow but he turned, facing her to say, "Don't. Amy, I want you to remember me as I am not as I will be, so don't."

The young hedgehog did not understand what he had meant by his words but she could tell by his stance and stiff body language that something in him had changed. Perhaps it would be best to forget, to think only of more pleasant times.

But Amy knew that despite what Sonic did or whatever he planned on doing, she would still love him more than anything on Earth.


	6. Chapter 6

~SONIC~

He and Knuckles had never seen eye to eye, nor had they ever been on friendly speaking terms, rarely getting along unless necessary. However, he had thought of the echidna as a friend and had almost laughed in Amy's face at hearing her revelation. Something in her sodden face had told him otherwise and he could not listen to her story of defeat and corruption without believing every word of it. Catching sight of his reflection in a store window, Sonic glimpsed into himself, his soul, shocked to find that even he could learn to hate. It was worse than hate. It was out of control rage and Sonic wanted to take vengeance for his friend, he wanted to kill Knuckles. Nothing else filled his mind except for the echidna's face, stern and cruel and mocking. His vision blurred, he couldn't concentrate, all he focused on was murdering that red devil.

His feet stopped outside an unusual store. It was a store he had never considered entering until now. A drab shade of grey ruled it's paintwork and it's windows were decorated with the image of a scantily clad woman wielding two machine guns. Slowly turning his head, clearly disoriented, Sonic gawked into the windows, eyeing the many varieties of firearm on offer.

_Something small._

Sonic thought as he observed every detail. Something like a pistol or a revolver, anything that could be easily disposed of. There was however, one snag in his plan and that was the price. Sonic had barely any cash to spare and he certainly didn't have enough to purchase a gun. There was no possibility of him gaining enough money to buy even a cheap one.

After some time had passed, Sonic became aware of a commotion occurring behind him. The reflection in the window told him it was something big as a large crowd had conglomerated at the foot of the sky scraper opposite.

"Who is it?" He heard a woman ask in confusion as more and more people joined the group to stare up to the sky.

Being quite short compared to his human counterparts Sonic had difficulty seeing through the commotion caused by the crowd. There was definitely sombody up there, atop the roof. Most likely a jumper. It wasn't uncommon for people to end their lives this way but Station Square was one place Sonic never thought it would happen.

"I want Sonic!" Came the enraged echo, bouncing off the sidewark and straight into the hedgehog's ear.

Everyone turned to look at Sonic, standing with his mouth open and his pupils dilated, not daring to move a muscle. His heart rate increased and his blood rushed to his head preventing his brain from working correctly.

_Tails..._

Making his way up floor by floor Sonic became dizzy staring at the spiralling staircase and had to pause for a moment. His grip was tight around the rail and he squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he possibly could so as to prevent himself from fainting. First Amy and now Tails, how many more friends were going to lose their will to live because of him? Fighting back the need to scream Sonic persevered with his mission and pushed himself onward, refusing to give up until he was face to face with his crazed friend.

Cautiously opening the door, Sonic stepped onto the roof to find his friend standing on the edge of death, glaring at him from sunken eyes. Sonic took a step forward.

"Don't!" Tail's screeched, sending a chill down the hedgehog's spine. "Stay right where you are Sonic." He warned, moving his right foot further towards the roof edge.

"Tails," Sonic started, sympathetically holding his hand out toward the fox. "Why don't you come down from there and we can talk?"

"I don't want to talk. I'm tired of talking."

"Well what do you want to do?" Sonic asked, still leaning forward.

"I'll jump Sonic, I swear I will." Tails threatened through watery eyes.

"Just tell me if there's anything I can do Tails, anything at all that will make you come down from there and I'll do it."

At these words Tails' hands stopped shaking and his chest moved up and down more slowly than before. He was contemplating his next move and Sonic knew he had to be as supportive as possible so as to prevent his friend from plunging to his death.

"Tell me," Tails said quietly. "Tell me you love me as more than a friend, as more than a brother."

"I can't." Sonic mumbled, his eyes dropping to the ground. "I can't lie to you Tails and I won't lie to you. I love you, but no more than I love Amy or loved Knuckles." He looked at Tails again, so small and weak, stood on the very rim of the roof. He could fall at any second and Sonic had never doubted he would jump. "Don't do this Tails. You don't want to die, you have so much potential. Why can't we just be friends, like old times. Didn't you like the moments we spent together?"

The fox looked thoughtful and Sonic's heartbeat returned to a steady thud as he slowly began walking towards his friend.

"Sonic," Tails asked. "Can we really be together like old times, you won't leave me will you?"

"Of course not buddy." Sonic promised, reaching out to Tails.

Tails reached out a hand to within an inch of Sonic's palm but hesitated. Sonic looked on, tense as Tail's was stuck in limbo.

_Should I grab him?_

Before Sonic could act Tails had retreated and was now standing upright again.

"No Sonic, you'll leave me I know it. You always leave me alone, just like you left Amy. You're too busy on your little adventures, in love only with your running. I'm tired of being the one who you rely on when you need a mechanic, that's all I am to you Sonic, a machine ready to fix your problems. You won't love me but you'll use me for your own selfish needs!"

With that final speech, Sonic watched in horror as his best friend, his little brother, flung himself off the rooftop to his death. An ear shattering scream drowned out any signs of life as Sonic was left staring at the empty spot where Tails had stood only a few seconds ago. Summoning every last ounce of courage within himself Sonic peered over the roof to the long drop below and there, sprawled in an impossible position, was Tails' corpse. A thick pool of crimson had engulfed him and the angered cries and mourns of both men and women rang in Sonic's ears. Sonic could not bring himself to move, all he could manage was to lie down, grasping his knees like a child. Tails was gone, he was never going to come back. Not ever. Amy and Tails had fell into self destruction because of his actions, it was his fault they had descended into ruin. Sonic vowed to himself, as he lay quivering, that he would never move again, never get close to another living creature. He would not harm anybody else.

A gust of wind sent his quills flailing and a slight shiver ran through him but still he refused to budge. He had slipped into a catatonic state, finally accepting the roof as his final resting place. His grave.

Sonic would never run again.


	7. Chapter 7

~KNUCKLES 3~

Night had now descended and Knuckles had repositioned himself atop the ruin steps, ensuring the safety of the Master Emerald once more. He had had a busy day and could barely keep his eyes open. The icy wind that had been present earlier had eased into a gentle breeze and the echidna folded his arms before dropping off to sleep. The sound of crickets chirping could be heard in the distance and the stars had come out to play again. Angel island had always been a peaceful place, it was one of the reasons Knuckles adored it so much. He could be alone in his own little world.

Just as he had fallen into unconsciousness there was a sharp jab to the back of his head, waking him. His eyes shot open and his pulse quickened. Though he could not see the perpetrator he knew what that the object pressing against his skull was a gun. A cold sweat dampened his brow and he sat as still as he could. The gun was shaking slightly and Knuckles was aware that in this position the trigger could slip at any second. Whoever it was they were unfamiliar with weapons, gasping heavily as they tried to keep the firearm steady. A calming green light reflected off the Master Emerald contrasting with the situation. It had occurred to the echidna that he might escape unscathed if he were to wait for the deviant to lose their concentration, something which wouldn't be difficult considering their position with such an object in their grasp. He needed to buy his time.

"Who are you?" He asked, arms folded and eyes focused on the mountains ahead.

There was no reply so Knuckles let out a sutle laugh, closing his eyes in a smug manner.

"Whoever you are, it's clear you can barely hold that weapon. Children like you shouldn't have such dangerous toys."

The sharp intake of breath became more frequent and the gun began to clang against his head as the possessor lost control. A high pitched squeak escaped and suddenly Knuckles knew.

"Amy?"

An Earth shattering bang sent birds bolting in the distance and the ehcidna's lifeless body keeled over, collapsing across the ruin steps. Bent over and shuddering with both hands glued to the gun, stood Amy Rose. Her bag hung loose off her shoulder and her eyes were wrought with suffering. She had finally achieved revenge but discovered it was far more haunting than the horrific event itself. Lost for words the little hedgehog slowly released the pistol from her fingers, letting it crash to the floor. Though Knuckles had mistreated her in an unspeakable manner Amy had felt an undeniable amount of remorse for her once dear friend. Taking a life changed people, she had known this for quite some time, ever since she came across E102-Gamma and convinced to escape a life of drudgery. How silly of her to think she could influence others when she hated herself, when every passing minute of every day she slipped further and further away from reality.

As time had passed Amy had grown into a mature young woman, no longer the cheerful and optimistic child she had once been. She was solemn and crass disposing of any remaining slices of her innocence, including her much loved Piko Piko hammer, which had been left to rot long ago.

"I couldn't have done this without you Amy." Came a confident voice. "This Emerald will be the pride of my collection."

The sound of the Emerald being caressed roused Amy from her coma and Rouge came into view, standing to face the hedgehog. Rouge knelt down and elegantly slid the gun into her palm before standing and holding it out to Amy.

"Keep it, GUN have plenty more tucked away and you look like you could use it what with your new line of work."

"I shot him." Was all Amy managed to fathom.

"He had it coming to him, after what he put you through he got what he deserved."

Amy reluctantly took the pistol, sliding it into her handbag. Rouge returned to her precious Emerald tracing the edges with her finger. "This thing is much too big for me to cart around on my own. Looks like I'll have to come back tomorrow." She paused as she turned, peering over her shoulder. "I almost forgot, I slipped a hefty amount of money in your purse for helping me dispose of that pesky echidna, use it as you wish."

As the sound of the bat's boots clacking faded away, Amy decided she had to leave before anybody came to investigate. Refusing to cross the stream of blood trickling down the stairs, Amy took to sliding down the gravel slope to evade leaving telltale footprints at the crime scene.

It was almost midnight and the girl was tired of running. Slipping uninvited down the back alley of a sleazy club she took a seat against the wall, facing yet another set of trash cans and grime. Desperate to escape the haunting memories of what had just transpired, Amy rummaged around in her purse searching for something to take the pain away. Her fingers brushed against something crisp and thick and when she took her hand out of her purse she was angered to find a wad of notes in her grasp. A grimace marked her face and she threw the money against the trash cans, sending it billowing in the breeze. It was blood money, she would not touch it. Returning to her original mission Amy removed a syringe from her bag and then a small vial of liquid heroin. Filling the syringe with the drug Amy wrapped a piece of cloth tightly round her arm, pulling at the material with her teeth as she prepared to inject the fluid into her vein.

A little smile emerged from beneath her sorrowful exterior as she slumped over, the dirtied needle lying on the floor and the cloth unraveling around her wrist. That same feeling of euphoria washed over her and she knew she could forget about what she had done. Her last thought as she drifted to sleep was of her moment with Sonic in the alley, that was a feeling of complete happiness not brought on by the heroin but by love.

Closing her eyes for the last time, Amy fell into a drug induced coma, purposefully overdosing on the heroin. Life had lost its hold on her and she was finally able to escape. She was finally free.


	8. Chapter 8 Final

~VANILLA~

Vector and Vanilla had been seeing one another for quite some time and things had been going extremely well. Since she met him, Vanilla had been a much happier and outgoing person compared to her previous, shy personality. Chopping the vegetables for dinner in her kitchen, Vanilla mused at how Vector had been so quick to accept her invitation to move in. He was like a child in a candy store, eager to get into her home and settle down. Vector had gone out earlier for a walk. Vanilla never knew where he went or what he did but he always seemed to arrive home quite late, usually with a faint odour of alcohol on his breath. She didn't mind this so long as he didn't get drunk.

_He only does it on weekends._

She smiled as she thought of him dancing to a cheerful tune echoing from his headphones. He never took them off except for when he went to bed but that's what she loved about him. It was the little things that brought joy to her heart. As she continued to daydream her daughter's voice broke her from her trance.

"Mom, where's Vector?"

Vanilla shared a quick glance with her child before returning to the chopping board. "Out, he went for a walk why?"

"I need to talk to you." Cream replied.

"I'm a little busy now dear, we'll talk later when I don't have my hands full."

Cream gripped the bottom of her dress, bending her knees slightly and keeping her vision to a minimum, looking only at her feet. She knew she had to be strong otherwise she would be driven insane by the torment.

"He touches me."

Vanilla stopped cutting and put her knife down. Had she just heard what she thought she'd heard? Surely Cream wasn't serious about what she'd said. Perhaps it was just a mechanism to make Vanilla through Vector out. Cream was eight years old now and understood things better. Maybe she was trying to get rid of the crocodile because she didn't like him stealing the attention, it wasn't uncommon for children in single parent relationships to do such things.

"He gives me bruises." Cream continued, pleading with her mother to react.

Vanilla swerved round to find her child avoiding her vision. Recently she had begun wearing clothing with sleeves, shunning her sleeveless summer dresses for something less exposing. Vanilla fell to her knees and took hold of the little rabbit's arms, tugging at her sleeves until her bare arms were revealed, covered head to toe in old and new bruises. Vanilla was overcome with a feeling of intense guilt having seen the broken little girl before her. Cream had changed over the past couple of months becoming less outgoing and more moody, snapping often. Now it all made sense to Vanilla and she felt herself begin to weep as she stared at the truth which she had been blind to all along.

The sound of the front door opening sent Vanilla climbing to her feet. Wiping her hands on her apron, she sent Cream into the garden to occupy herself whilst she turned to continue making dinner. Things had been hard for the two of them recently. Before Vanilla began dating Vector, the two of them had encountered numerous hardships. At the age of seven Cream had witnessed the death of her beloved chao, Cheese, as his lifespan came to an end. Trying to explain things to her child had not been easy especially considering Cream would no longer have Amy to confide in. Vanilla did not know why Amy had stopped visiting them and could not explain this to her daughter. Upon dating Vector she finally felt like they were a real family only to have this new revelation send her hopes and dreams crashing down to Earth.

"Hey Vanilla, I'm gonna' go take a little nap alright?" Came Vector's voice across the room.

"Sure thing." Vanilla replied in her best attempt at acting.

Vector headed over and grabbed her around the waist in a comforting embrace, only for her it was disgusting to feel his slimy hands wrapped round her. As he ascended to their room Vanilla felt sick to the stomach knowing she had gone to bed with that monster and looking out of the window into the garden, she caught sight of her daughter sitting on the grass, playing with some flowers and she promised that she would make it up to her.

As night fell Vanilla found herself seated on the couch next to Cream, reading her a story. Vector was sat on an arm chair opposite, rubbing his bloated stomach. Though Cream was taking a turn at reading from the book, Vanilla wasn't paying any attention choosing instead to eye the crocodile from afar. He had his eyes closed, nodding along to music as usual.

"What's wrong?" Cream asked, looking up at her mother.

Vector stirred as he heard the child's comment and Vanilla quickly composed herself.

"There's nothing wrong dear, continue reading."

Vector got to his feet and stretched, releasing a yawn. "I'm going to hit the hay."

"So early?" Asked Vanilla, surprised at his sudden fatigue.

Vector leant over Vanilla, kissing her on the cheek. It was difficult for her to stay relaxed when all she wanted was to tense up. It was much worse for her to witness him ruffle Cream's hair as the little girl flinched in away in discomfort. Cream looked nowhere but the floor and Vanilla was overcome with a heavy heart. After Vector had retired to bed Vanilla stared at cream and gently said, "Wait here okay, no matter what happens I don't want you to come upstairs understand?"

Her daughter nodded and sat with her hands clasped on her book.

Vanilla peered in through a crack in the door, watching as the bed covers rose and fell in synchronicity. Digging into her dress pocket, the rabbit removed a kitchen knife, sharp and gleaming in the light. Taking a step into the room she stopped and sucked in her breath as the door creaked noisily. She knew she had to be careful not to rouse the sleeping creature.

Taking baby steps forward Vanilla finally arrived at her destination. She was now facing her sleeping enemy, a smile spread on his face even as he slept. Not being capable of conjuring any thoughts other than of justice, Vanilla raised the knife above her head with one hand and dragged the bed covers away with another before taking a moment to stare into the face of the man who violated her innocent offspring. The rage within her could not be calmed with words, only actions, so to ensure that she did not chicken out, Vanilla closed her eyes and brought the knife down piercing Vector's neck and sending a gush of fluid spurting out. She pulled the knife out and brought it down again repeatedly, allowing herself to become swamped in his blood. After what seemed like forever, Vanilla let the knife fall before staring at her work. Her lover was no longer recognizable, now nothing more than a lump of flesh.

After a quick change of clothes the mother grabbed a small suitcase containing both her and her child's belongings, put on her coat and helped Cream into a warm jacket before fleeing into the forest. Cream never asked any questions, she knew she was going to be safe now. As for Vanilla, she began to cry salty tears of joy at being able to protect her daughter, to fulfill her role as a mother. Though she could never return to her home, though they would come looking for her, Vanilla was filled with pleasant emotions. Dreams of a brighter future for the two of them and of hope. Nothing and no one could ever take that away from her as she ran into the woodland, preparing to start a new life.

Fin.


End file.
